Fishing Forum

Hello all! I have a question for whomever may answer it! What do 10 mph winds feel like? How is fishing in these types of wind? It's a dumb question, I know, but, I'm not good with wind speed.[fishin]
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They feel annoying is what they feel like!! No joke, but if you're going to do some spring fishing, than learning to tolerate the wind is a must. (sigh) The wind is just annoying to me.

I've learned to use it to my advantage. The movement in the water from the ripple, or what seems like tsunami sized waves at times, can make your fly or bugger or jig drift PERFECTLY!
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A 10 mph wind would be a good wind to troll for walleyes or just about any fish. when the wind blows it makes the under water world get dark and most fish think it's time to go feed. some wind is a good thing but too much can be dangerous. learn to use the wind.
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depends on what you're fishing for as well. bass fishing I don't mind when it's windy, I just fish heavier stuff.
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Fly fishing, wind means chop and chop is great. A little disturbance on the water makes it hard for them to see YOU.
Plus I think it stirs up food.
You just make the wind work to your advantage.
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This is a great question that I've actually "Googled" before. For me, wind has a major influence on enjoying outdoor activities. If hiking, a normal wind is your friend; if bait fishing from shore, an annoyance; if fly fishing on an open, stillwater pond, a possible deal breaker.

Yesterday I was stillwater fishing in a 'toon on Soldier Creek Bay starting early morning. Winds were predicted at 15 mph with gusts of 20 or higher. I carried a hand-held anemometer with me so I could measure the wind and then more accurately access the annoyance factor.

In the early morning, winds at 3-5 mph and most pleasant. Around 12:00, winds were at 12-15 mph and were annoying and tiring, but we were catching fish so we stuck it out. Around 3, winds started hitting 15 mph with gusts to 20+ resulting in whitecaps, so we called it a day.

From my perspective, if you are on open water, 10 - 15 mph is annoying but tolerable if one is otherwise having a good time. 15+ mph means it's probably time to call it a day. 20+ may make it risky to be on the water unless you have a robust boat.

If you are shore fishing with some minimal shelter from the bank, rocks, trees, etc., then you could possibly add 5 mph to each of these speeds.

Mon. was one of our best days yet on the Berry, and I'm glad I didn't miss it, but after being on the water since 7:30 and fighting the wind since 11:00, I was very ready to leave at 3:30.

Of course, your mileage (and wind tolerance) may vary.
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You can use it to your advantage as well. Saturday we fished Deer Creek for Walleye with Bottom Bouncers and when the bad winds came up we switch to popgear and worm and let the wind push us along. It was strong enough so we could troll a popgear and a worm without the motor. All we did was get the boat in position and turn off the engine and steer it with the wind. Caught quite a few. Ended up taking home a limit. it was gusting to 30 they say.
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10 mph wind is good wind speed to be on trolling on a toon. I was tired of rowing so I stripped out all my line and just let the wind take me in what ever direction. Every 5 minutes or so I would get hits no casting [cool][cool][cool]
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Moderate wind may be annoying, but you can use it to your advantage big time. When I lived in Texas I learned to use it to my advantage from an old timer. He taught me that the best fishing in the wind is around the shore and shallow structures nearest the wind blown bank(i.e. if the winds blows from the south then the shore on the north).

This stacks up the baitfish and bugs and turns the wind blown bank into a buffet. I've used it to my advantage now for 23 years and it is amazing how well it can work to ones success. Having the wind in your face and a couple tears streaming back to your ears can be annoying, but when you start getting them one after another it makes it all worth it, especially when everyone else gives up and calls it quits.

Now if you have big rollers coming in off of the lake, best to just wait for a better day!
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[quote rancid_crabtree]You can use it to your advantage as well.[/quote]

Agreed. Like Sinergy, we had our best luck motoring upwind and then drifting downwind with some leech patterns. The theory is that as in a river, fish face "up stream" into the wind current created on the lake. Thus, if you are trolling upwind, your fly is coming from behind and harder for fish to spot. If you are trolling downwind, the fish see your fly coming from a distance.

I don't know if this is true or not, but our experience was that we got many more hits trolling downwind than upwind.

However, it's still an ill wind that blows no fishperson any good.
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Here's what most people would say, but didn't.[:/] Wind sucks. A 10 mph wind feels like you put your head out the window of a vehicle going10 mph, or holding your hand out the window at 10 mph, or riding a bike at 10 mph.

Wind screws up your casts. Wind screws up your boat control. Wind dirties the water. Wind blows crap into the water. Wind blows hatching bugs off the water. Wind makes it harder to see into the water. Wind makes your boat ride choppy/rough. Wind is a bitch to row any craft in.

You can fish in the wind. You can catch fish in the wind. You sometimes must fish in the wind. In some places, you often must fish in the wind.

Yet, WIND SUCKS. I'll take glass calm and completely still every time, every where, always. Surface wind is the biggest design flaw of planet earth. (Mosquitoes are a close second.)
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I've had some phenomenal days of bass fishing in the wind during the warmer months. The fun part is that they can become very active and aggressive, so finding a nice windy point or wind blown shore and throwing things like spinnerbaits and lipless cranks can be dynamite. During the early season, when the bass are a lot more tentative, I've had the wind turn them right off and make them go deep again. Trout don't seem to mind any time of the year and also tend to get aggressive.
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I have had far more glass smooth days that did not produce than days with wind. Sad but true.
The ULTIMATE day is that glass smooth and hungry fish, but rare.
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